Combustion plants, furnaces and engines of various forms are well known. They are used to heat homes, cook food, power factories, and to propel many different types of vehicles. Combustion systems evolved through the centuries from simple open fires to modern centralized boilers and hot air furnaces. Combustion machines used to power vehicles include steam engines, piston engines, turbines, jet engines and rockets. Large-scale combustion plants generate electrical power to provide power for communities and cities.
The combustion process, itself, is also well known. In general, most combustion systems operate by burning a wide variety of hydrocarbon fuels, including natural gas, oil, coal and refuse. As such, the combustion process is an exothermic, or heat producing, chemical reaction between a fuel and oxygen. A high temperature is used to ignite the reaction, which causes burning of the air and fuel reactants. The burning process converts the hydrocarbon fuel and oxygen to carbon dioxide, water and other combustion byproducts. The combustion process breaks the molecular bond structure of the reactants, and yields combustion products that are at a lower thermodynamic potential energy than the original reactants. The change in potential energy level generates kinetic energy in the form of heat, which is used as a source of power. For additional background information regarding the combustion process, see the following publications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference: Strahle, Warren C., An Introduction to Combustion, Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, S. A., Longhorne, Pennsylvania (1993), ISBN 2-88124-586-2; Strehlow, Roger A., Combustion Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill, New York (1984), ISBN 0-07-062221-3; Barnard, J. A., Flame and Combustion, Chapman and Hall, New York (1985), ISBN 0-412-23030-5.
There has been much innovation in the development of modern combustion plants and engines. However, the proliferation and size of all kinds of combustion plants is a source of increasing environmental concern. For example, environmental problems traced to combustion power plants are now better understood, including specifically relating to effects such as smog, acid rain, global warming and depleting combustible natural resources. As a result, attention has been directed at improving the combustion process with the goals of increasing efficiency and minimizing negative side effects and byproducts. Examples of such attempts are found in the following U.S. Patents: (a) U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,358; (b) U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,162; (c) U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,937; (d) U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,642; (e) U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,628; (f) U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,421; (g) U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,230; (h) U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,684; (i) U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,959; (j) U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,496; (k) U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,954; (l) U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,445; (m) U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,975; (n) U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,077; (o) U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,486; (p) U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,002; (q) U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,024; (r) U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,898; (s) U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,379; (t) U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,728; (u) U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,083; (v) U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,118; (w) U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,826; (x) U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,099; and (y) U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,505. See also the following publications: (a) Progress in Emission Control Technologies, Society of Automotive Engineers (1994), ISBN 1-56091-565-X; (b) Advanced Emission Control Technologies, Society of Automotive Engineers (1993), ISBN 1-56091-436-X; (c) Hanby, V. I., Combustion and Pollution Control in Heating Systems, Springer Verlag, New York (1993), ISBN 3-540-19849-0; (d) Eckbreth, Alan C., Laser Diagnostics for Combustion Temperature and Species, Abacus Press, Cambridge Mass. (1988), ISBN 0-85626-344-3; and (e) Crosley, David R., Laser Probes for Combustion Chemistry, American Chemical Society Symposium Series, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. (1980), ISBN 0-8412-0570-1. Each of the above-listed patents and publications is incorporated herein by reference.
While the above-listed patents and publications disclose various attempts to characterize and control the combustion process, none of them take full advantage of modern imaging and control technology. For example, none of the systems combine modern computer imaging techniques with expert systems using fuzzy logic and neural networks to optimize the combustion process through automatic feedback control of the combustion parameters. The need exists for improved systems and methods that automatically optimize the combustion process to increase efficiency and minimize unwanted or harmful by-products. In view of the wide spread use of combustion systems that burn hydrocarbon fuels, even small improvements in the efficiency of the combustion process can result in significant social and environmental benefits.